/Fort Myers Beach News
Some fatalities blamed on cold stress, one attributed to watercraft collision
Six manatees were transported recently from Lee County and Sarasota County to ZooTampa and Sea World in Orlando from cold stress events. Photo credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)have documented an additional 15 manatee deaths in Lee County since announcing the deaths of 25 manatees last week from a cold stress event around Manatee Park. While the more recent deaths haven’t been given a singular cause, the majority are believed to be due to cold stress, while one of the deaths was due to a watercraft collision in the Orange River off Fort Myers.
While the FWC has not attributed a single cause for the cold stress event, the FWC identified an planned shutdown of a Florida Power & Light plant near Manatee Park. The plant, located outside of Fort Myers near the area where manatees congregate during cold periods of the winter, is considered to be a potential contributing factor. The FWC said this week that the power plant has since resumed operations.
No other counties in the state have had as large of a mortality event for manatees as Lee County has recently. Lee County leads the state in manatee mortalities this year from both cold stress and watercraft collisions.
Florida Power & Light (FP&L) have referred requests for comment back to the FWC. In response to a recent inquiry from the Fort Myers Beach Observer, the media relations team for FP&L said “We are aware that FWC is investigating manatee deaths at Manatee Park. We are coordinating closely with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).”
In Lee County, 12 of the 58 deaths have been attributed directly to cold stress though 33 manatees have not been necropsied. Of the 155 manatee deaths so far this year in Florida, 72 of the manatees have not been necropsied to determined a cause.
Of the 58 manatee deaths in Lee County this year, eight were blamed on watercraft collisions. No other county in the state has more than two fatal watercraft collisions resulting in a manatee death this year.
The FWC also announced that six manatees were rescued from the waters in Lee County and in Sarasota County in the last week. The manatees were transported to ZooTampa and Sea World to be rehabilitated.
The rescues occurred in several locations between Feb. 19 and Feb. 25, including the Caloosahatchee and Orange rivers, Venice, Alva and Fort Myers.
Statewide, 24 manatees have been rescued so far this year and over 20 rehabilitated manatees have been released through the efforts of the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership
The latest mortality event brings the number of dead manatees in Lee County to 58 so far this year, far outpacing Brevard County, which has the second-most manatee deaths in the state this year with 15 deaths. In Brevard County, seven of the 15 deaths have been blamed on cold stress.
FWC staff continue to monitor and respond to a local elevated manatee mortality event due to cold stress in Lee County and surrounding areas following a period of cold weather across the state. During the historic cold-weather event, FWC staff confirmed the Florida Power & Light Ft. Myers plant was compliant with the terms of its license and manatee protection plan criteria. To clarify, there is no FWC investigation currently taking place with FPL. FPL is a key partner with a long history of supporting the FWC’s manatee conservation efforts and has agreed to go beyond its license terms to mitigate the impacts of future cold-weather events at this and other industrial sites across the state.
Manatees are highly dependent on safe and reliable warm-water sites to survive the winter. As water temperatures drop below 68 degrees Fahrenheit, Florida’s manatees seek refuge at springs, power plant discharge areas and other warm water sites where they’ll spend the winter until temperatures rise again in spring.
The latest mortality event brings the number of dead manatees in Lee County to 58 so far this year, far outpacing Brevard County, which has the second-most manatee deaths in the state this year with 15 deaths.
???? If you see a manatee that is sick, injured or deceased, please report it to FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922) so trained responders can assist.
???? Please be sure to give staff space while they are out responding for the safety of the team and the animal.
Fort Myers Beac